


Curiosity Killed the Cat

by Sapphire Snowflake (annie15)



Series: Curiosity Killed the Cat [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Era, Or Is It?, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:42:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22852678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annie15/pseuds/Sapphire%20Snowflake
Summary: The lines between dreams (nightmares) and reality are getting hazy for both Draco and Hermione. There is something peculiar happening in Hogwarts, and Draco is having none of it. Hermione isn’t sure if the world spun the other way to turn back time, or if she’s becoming delusional from all the dreams she was having.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: Curiosity Killed the Cat [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591420
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, and this was written as a way to relieve stress. Lol. I definitely didn’t make money from writing this one.  
> This is part three of the Curiosity Killed the Cat series and it's probably the last one. You need to read the first two parts so you can understand this one.  
> Please let me know what you think of this. :)

-*-

_“And, when you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.”_

_\- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist_

-*-

Prologue

-*-

Hermione woke up with a start.

Her eyes flew towards her left arm. It was unblemished, despite the throbbing pain she could feel, the sharp, prickling sensation that could only be brought about by someone carving her arm. Her forehead scrunched in confusion and she brought both hands to her wildly beating heart, looking all around her for a telltale sign that she was still inside the Malfoy Manor, still inside a nightmare that came to life. There was no luxurious furniture, nor was there a chandelier hanging in the ceiling. Instead, she was surrounded by Gryffindor red curtains surrounding her four-poster bed in the Gryffindor dormitory. It was her thick blankets and pillows giving warmth to her back and not the arms of Draco Malfoy. She drew the curtains with a snap of her arm and saw her fourth-year transfiguration book by her bedside table. She bit back a sob.

“It was all just a dream,” she muttered to herself. Images of all the years she was sneaking glances at Draco Malfoy and catching his eyes on her half of those times surfaced in her mind. She could still remember his panicked breath ghosting against her face as he rescued her from his aunt, how his eyes looked at her, full of passion, love, and a promise to protect her from all the evil in the world.

“It was all just a dream.” She heaved a deep breath and cried.

-*-

Draco splashed cold water on his face in an effort to calm himself. His whole body was shaking in fear and anxiety. Images of her bloodied arm and the sounds of her screams as her aunt’s manic glee filled their drawing room wrecked his soul. Everything felt so vivid and real that he kept looking at his arm, expecting to see the cursed Dark Mark but finding nothing but pale white skin.

Memories of all the times throughout the years that he was watching her from afar resurfaced in his mind: her laughter as Viktor Krum twirled her on the dance floor, her alert eyes sneaking into Hog’s Head Inn, her pinking cheeks as she described the smell of Amortentia.

_Freshly mown grass and… and new parchment –_

Was that about him? Did she cut herself from saying more because she did not want to give away that it was him she was thinking about during their Potions class? A sliver of hope blossomed in him and he could feel his face warm up despite the freezing water.

_You’re in love with me too._

He could clearly remember her voice shaky from pain as she uttered those words that he could only dream of hearing. She knows that he’s in love with her. And to his surprise, she’s in love with him too.

He closed his eyes shut and splashed more water to his face. He looked up the mirror, only to see his thirteen-year old reflection staring back at him, like a punch to his gut.

“It was all just a dream,” he told his reflection, his hands clenched before the alabaster sink. “A dream that should never come true.”

The loud beating of his heart said otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled with the title of this third installment but settled on this because it kind of will reflect what will happen with the story. And NO, it's not because I will kill Hermione because she's a lion and they're like cats (not really). XD But yeah, murder of the main characters will not happen this time.
> 
> I already planned where I wanted this to go (and end) but I haven't decided yet on the finer details (such as, but not limited to: how long until they kiss and whatnot, adding a character death, raising the rating to explicit, etc etc). Hopefully, you'll join me in this journey. It will be a bittersweet one. I blame Draco Malfoy.


End file.
